Choosing a Trustee: Navigating the Complexities and Key Considerations
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 509: Listen and Learn -- Third-Party Rights in Contracts (Part 2 - Beneficiaries)
Law School Toolbox Podcast Episode 508: Listen and Learn -- Third-Party Rights in Contracts (Part 1 - Rules)
Mamma Mia!: Common Estate Planning Issues for Blended Families
Once Removed Episode 38: The Legacy Mindset: What It Is and How to Build It
John Wick - What You Need To Know about the Corporate Transparency Act
Once Removed Episode 24: Expressing Goals and Intent for the Trust
Once Removed Episode 23: Naming Guardians for Minor Children
Once Removed Episode 22: Building Flexibility into the Estate Plan
Once Removed Episode 20: Helping a Beneficiary Purchase a Home
Life After Love Gone Wrong Podcast: Season 3, Episode 6 - Reshaping Your Legacy: Estate Planning After Your Divorce
Charitable Planning With Guest Stephanie Hood: Navigating Complex Rules and Traps for the Unwary
A Primer On Trusts - A Podcast with Janathan Allen
Once Removed Episode 13: It’s 5 o’Clock: Do You Know Where Your Will Is? A Lesson From Aretha Franklin
Once Removed Episode 12: SLATs and the Case of McKim vs. McKim
Once Removed Episode 11: Spousal Lifetime Access Trusts, or SLATs
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: Family Office Technology Solutions
Digital Planning Podcast Episode: The Uniform Electronic Estate Planning Documents Act
What is a self-proving affidavit?
The Importance of Beneficiary Designations
On July 4, 2025, President Trump signed into law the One Big Beautiful Bill Act (OBBA). The OBBA established a new type of tax-advantaged savings account for minors, known as “Trump Accounts.” While the specific details of...more
"God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, courage to change the things I can, and wisdom to know the difference."- The Serenity Prayer- The first 100 days of President Trump’s administration have been...more
Under the SECURE Act, disabled beneficiaries can stretch out inherited retirement account distributions beyond 10 years, provided their life expectancy is longer than the default 10-year rule. Generally, an Applicable...more
Divorce is a major life change that affects far more than just your relationship status. One crucial—but often overlooked—aspect that needs immediate attention after a divorce is your estate plan. Failing to update your...more
The April 2025 Section 7520 rate for use with estate planning techniques such as CRTs, CLTs, QPRTs and GRATs is 5.00%, which is 0.40% less than the March 2025 rate. The April applicable federal rate (“AFR”) for use with a...more
Following the IRS’ finalization of the SECURE Act regulations on July 18, 2024, it is a good time to review the retirement benefit provisions of your trust to make sure they still align with your estate planning goals....more
On July 18, 2024, the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) issued final regulations updating the required minimum distribution (RMD) rules. The final regulations reflect changes made by the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement...more
What are the most important elements of estate and tax planning for US expatriates? Are you planning to move out of the United States? Are you a US taxpayer who lives and works outside of the country? What are some of the...more
Historically, if one inherited an IRA, he or she was able to stretch the distributions over the beneficiary’s lifetime. However, under the SECURE Act, passed in 2019, those stretched out rules were changed for most...more
My husband just recently opened a new account at one of those online, do-it-yourself, investment companies. He promises that with the tiny amount of money I was willing to allow him to experiment with that he will make us...more
Annual exclusion gifts - A deceptively powerful estate planning strategy - In 2021, the federal lifetime gift and estate tax exemption amount is a whopping $11.7 million. So, for most people, it may seem like planning...more
Presented by Cohen Seglias associate Whitney Patience O'Reilly on October 22, 2020. An often overlooked but important aspect of estate planning is the designation of beneficiaries—both primary and contingent—on life...more
Like most estate planners, we always remind clients that tax and estate planning laws are subject to change and frequently do. As busy practitioners, it is impossible for us to reach out to every client when a change might...more
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (the SECURE Act) was enacted on December 20, 2019, as part of a major appropriations bill. The SECURE Act is intended to make it easier for a broad range of...more
Both workers and retirees may need to rethink some of their estate planning in light of the newest spending bill. The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act, part of the massive bill, makes major...more
The Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act (or SECURE Act), signed into law on December 20, 2019, changes retirement planning significantly and unexpectedly. The bulk of the changes become effective as of...more
Presented by Cohen Seglias Attorneys Brian Lawton and Whitney Patience O'Reilly on January 23, 2020. It can take years to accumulate assets and increase the value of your business and investments. Unfortunately, without an...more
For many people, the first time they start thinking about an estate plan is when they start to have family members that depend on them financially – typically, a spouse or a child. Let’s take, for example, a young married...more
The federal appropriations bill enacted into law on December 20, 2019 changed federal law in ways that may affect your retirement assets, including 401(k) plans and IRAs. Those changes, often referred to as the “SECURE Act,”...more
It can take years to accumulate assets and increase the value of your business and investments. Unfortunately, without an asset protection plan, you could lose everything or a significant portion of what you have worked so...more
On December 20, 2019, the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement (SECURE) Act (the“Act”) was signed into law drastically altering the administration of certain retirement plans such as IRAs and 401Ks. Although...more
While the Setting Every Community Up for Retirement Enhancement Act of 2019 (the “SECURE Act”) has not yet been enacted, there are many who anticipate that it will be enacted by year end, primarily because it passed the House...more
Many people think that estate plans are for someone else, not them. They may rationalize that they are too young or don't have enough money to reap the tax benefits of a plan. But as the following list makes clear, estate...more
Despite the differing treatment of inherited IRAs under Federal, New York, and New Jersey law, clients may be best served to inherit IRAs in trusts or other asset protection vehicles rather than outright so as to provide an...more